Pallas, Peter Simon

Pallas, Peter Simon (pā'tur zē'môn pä'läs) [key], 1741–1811, German naturalist and explorer. He became (1768) professor at the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. In 1769, Pallas was a member of an expedition to observe the transit of Venus, and until 1774 he explored the upper Amur, the Caspian Sea, and the Ural and Altai mts., collecting valuable specimens in natural history. Pallas published (1771–76) an account of the journey and also wrote on natural history and on Bering's discoveries.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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